The Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH) has appointed luxury hotel group The Rocco Forte Collection, to manage its five-star hotel, The Shepheard Hotel in Cairo.

The hotel is owned by EGOTH, a subsidiary of The Holding Company for Tourism, Hotels and Cinema (Hotac), one of the region’s largest hotel-owning companies that already works with several other leading hotel brands.

The company plans to convert the 279-room Shepheard Hotel, strategically located along the famous Nile River in the heart of bustling downtown Cairo, to a full-fledged Rocco Forte Collection Hotel after an extensive renovation period, said a top official.

The Shepheard Hotel was founded by an Englishman called Samuel Shepheard Hotel in 1841 and became the leading hotel in Cairo for much of the twentieth Century. The original hotel was destroyed by fire twice, in 1891 and 1952, and then rebuilt on the banks of the Nile in 1957 where it remains operating today.

The Rocco Forte Collection team will take on temporary management of The Shepheard Hotel from next month, running it outside of its main brand.  The hotel will then close for total refurbishment and renovations.

EGOTH and The Rocco Forte Collection will start work immediately on plans to restore and renovate The Shepheard to its former glory and make it once again one of the best luxury hotels in the region.

George Freeman and Associates of London have been appointed as the interior designers for the project and British company 3D Reid for architecture.

The refurbished Shepheard will emerge as a luxury hotel within The Rocco Forte Collection brand in early 2012 offering 275 large elegant bedrooms, state-of-the-art facilities, outstanding design and the latest technology complemented by the highest standards of service and attention to detail.

Aly Abdel Aziz, Hotac chairman, said, 'The presence of The Rocco Forte Collection in the heart of the city, paralleled with the extensive efforts to upgrade and improve the entire infrastructure of the industry is an affirmation of our serious commitment to attract new development projects and improve the entire investment environment in Egypt.'

'We are all looking forward to transforming The Shepheard Hotel into a luxury hotel of which Cairo, and Egypt, can be proud and to adding The Rocco Forte Collection to the list of leading international management companies with which we work,' he stated.

General Nabil Selim, chairman of EGOTH, said: “The Shepheard has occupied a special role in the life of Cairo and I am very pleased that we are today announcing a new partnership to help us make it a luxury hotel of which Egypt can be very proud.'

Sir Rocco Forte, chairman and chief executive of Rocco Forte and Family, said: “This management contract is very important to our company.  It is the fourth we have won in the Mena since we announced in 2007 our intention to build on our existing base in Europe.'

'Any company serious about this region needs to be represented in Cairo and we have secured one of the very best locations in the city. We have built a strong luxury brand over the last decade and will work only with partners committed to making premium profits through outstanding service delivery,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service